Telecommunication cables are ubiquitous and used for distributing data across vast networks. The majority of cables are electrically conductive cables (typically copper), although the use of optical fiber cables is growing rapidly in telecommunication networks as larger and larger amounts of data are transmitted.
As telecommunication cables are routed across data networks, it is necessary to periodically open the cable so that one or more telecommunication lines therein may be spliced, thereby allowing data to be distributed to other cables or “branches” of the telecommunication network. At each point where a telecommunication cable is opened, it is necessary to provide a telecommunications enclosure to protect the exposed interior of the cable. The cable branches may be further distributed until the network reaches individual homes, businesses, offices, and so on.
Terminal enclosures are one type of telecommunications enclosure that is typically located near an end user to distribute the final service to the end user. Typical fiber terminals are designed to drop services (to provide service connections) to a small number of premises having typically between four to twelve end users. The last service connection from the fiber terminal is made to the optical network terminal (ONT), located at the end user using a drop cable. In optical fiber networks, for example, the ONT may be mounted on a wall at the end user. The ONT converts this optical signal into conventional electrical signals to provide voice (telephone), Internet (data) and video signals to the end user.
Many conventional telecommunication enclosures utilize either a mastic or rubber grommets for introducing cables into the enclosure. Conventional inlet devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,344 and U.S. Publication No. 2009-0060421-A1 which can be inserted into a port in the wall of a telecommunications enclosure.